Air conditioning system for passenger vehicles



July 4, 1950 s. RITTER un commonmc sYs'ma Fon PASSENGER vnu-xmms Filed June 4 1947 6 Shejzs-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

ZZV/NG 5. R11-TEK 5am a saam ,forney July 4, 1950 s. RITTER 2,513,679

AIR CONDITIONING sysm Fon PASSENGER vmIcLEs Filed Jun 4. 1947 s sheets-sheet I l I l 1 l l n l JNVENToR. silky/N6 6 R17-rg( July 4, 1950 s. RITTER AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM FOR PASSENGER VEHICLES Filed June 4, 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

12v/Na x5. 7317115( Bycfmzll@ July 4, 1950 I. S. RITTER AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM FOR PASSENGER VEHICLES Filed June 4. 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fig. 6.

INVENTOR.

Iam/v4- S Rrr-reg BY QSE-"yeux JG? fqf'He y July 4, 1950 1. s. RITTER 2,513,679

AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM FOR PASSENGER VEHICLES Filed June 4, 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 wwe CoM/ffm 97 u32-Memos TAT jE//m I INVENTOR.

IEA/V6 g5. P17725( July 4, 1950 s. RlTTER AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM FSR PASSENGER VEHICLES 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed June 4. 1947 mi mw n. Q QQ N .LVLSOWHBH E Smit @vi Patented July 4, 1950 AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM FOR PASSENGER VEHICLES Irving S. Ritter, Sharon, Mass., assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application June 4, 1947, Serial No. 752,339

1o claims. l

This invention relates to air conditioning systems and apparatus for passenger vehicles such as railway passenger cars.

The conventional, air conditioning system for a railway passenger car, utilizes a single refrigerant compressor having sufficient capacity to handle peak loads; uses an axle driven, electric generator on the car, for energizing the electric motor-driving the refrigerant compressor and the other electric equipment on the car, and uses steam from the locomotive for heat in Winter.

. The power for operating the axle generator is taken from the locomotive of a train, and in many cases, due to the load of the lights and many electric auxiliaries on a car, in addition to the load of` the air conditioning equipment, amounts to as much as thirty-six horsepower per car. On long trains this requires an excessive amount of power from the locomotives.

Another disadvantage of the conventional, air conditioning system for a railway passenger car using but a single, large refrigerant compressor is that since most of the time the compressor is in operation, its load is far below its design capacity, the power it consumes is out of proportion to the load due to oversized components.' Still another disadvantage of such a system is that in the case of failure of the one compressor, it is impossible to operate the air conditioning system to cool the car.

A disadvantage of the conventional heating apparatus used in an air conditioned, railway passenger car, is that it uses steam from the locomotive, reducing as in the case of axle driven generators, the power available for drawing the train.

This invention provides for an air conditioned, passenger vehicle, an internal combustion engine such as a Diesel engine. driving an alternating current generator whichvenergizes the electric motors driving two refrigerant compressors, and which energizes the other electric equipment of the air conditioning system, the electric auxiliaries on the car. and the car lights.

A feature of this invention is that the Diesel engine and the generator it drives are mounted on one set of slide rails. and the air cooling evaporators, and refrigerant compressors and their condensers are mounted on another set` ers, which after passing over the condenser surfaces, is passed over the refrigerant compressors, then through the engine radiator, and then over the surfaces of the engine and the generator, following which it is exhausted to the tracks.

Another feature of the invention is that the the vchilled air exhausted from the passenger space for replacement by fresh, make-up air. is circulated through the electric generator for cooling same, and is then supplied into the intake manifold of the engine as combustion air. Such air is clean and warm and its use for combustion eliminates the need for the usual air filters.

Other features of the invention reside in the provision of automatic controls which ensure high operating efficiency, and trouble free operation.

An object of the invention is to improve the performance of air conditioning systems for passenger vehicles. s

Another object of the invention is to facilitate the installation of air conditioning apparatus in, and the removal of such apparatus from passenger vehicles.

The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing of which:

Fig. l is a view in cross-section, of a railway passenger car containing an air conditioning system embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view, with parts removed, along the lines 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a fractional, side elevation of the car .with a portion of the apparatus access door removed, and illustrates in end view, the enginegenerator unit and the evaporative condenser unit and their slide rail supports;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view along the lines 4 4 of Fig. 1; f

Fig. 5 is a sectional view along the lines 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view illustrating one of the resilient supports used for supporting the refrigerant compressor and condenser units, and the Diesel engine land generator units, on their slide rails; n

Fig. 'I is an end elevation in section, of the apparatus shown by Fig. 6

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the refrigeration systems including the compressors, the condensers, the expansion valves, and the evaporators, the latter being illustrated in an air conditioning compartment upstream of a motor driven fan;

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view of the heating system using jacket water from the Diesel engine for heating the passenger space of the car;

Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the controls for the complete system, and

Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic plan view looking downwardly upon the air passages of the system.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 3, 6 and 7. the physical arrangements of the engine-generator unit and of the refrigerant compressor units on their supports in the car, will be described. v'I'he car has a door 28 in one of its side walls 2l, and which is hinged at 22 to the upper portion of the wall 2l. The lower portion of the door normally is fastened to the wall 2| by the bolts 23, the arrangement being that when it is desired to install or remove the engine-generator or the compressor units, the bolts 23 are loosened, and

the door 20 is swung outwardly and held in that position.

The pairs of U-shaped rails 25 and 26 are permanently installed in the car parallel to its floor, with their outer ends adjacent the door 28. The lower rails 26 support the Diesel .engine 21 and the electric generator 28 connected thereto. 'Ihe engine and generator have the outwardly extending flanges 29 which are bolted to the inverted U-shaped members 30 which have vulcanized thereto the inner sides of the rubber members 3|, the outer sides of which are vulcanized to the supports 32. The supports 32 are bolted to the L-shaped rails 33 which t slidably I in the rails 26.

'Ihe rubber members 3l absorb vibrations of the car and prevent the transmission thereof to the engine-generator unit.

The engine-generator unit can be easily withdrawn or installed through the open door 20 through the slidable support provided by the rails 26 and 33.

The two refrigerant compressors 35 and 36 with their receivers I31 and 38, the evaporator coils 46 and 41, the duct wall 5l, and the evaporative condenser unit 4|, are mounted on the support 40 which corresponds to the flange 29 described in connection with the engine-generator supports in the foregoing. The evaporator coils and the duct wall 6I are supported upon the uprights |60 the lower ends of which are welded to the support 40. The evaporative condenser unit is supported upon the uprights 42, the lower ends of which are welded to the support 40. The support 40 is resiliently supported on the rails 39 similar to the rails 33, and which iit slidably in the rails 25.

With the door 20 open, the evaporators, the duct wall 6l supported therewith, the compressors, their receivers, and the, evaporative condenser unit can be removed from or installed in the car, as a unit, through the slidable supports provided by the rails 3S within the rails 25.

The duct wall 6i forms, with the lower wall ll of the electrostatic precipitator 12, a dividing wall between the air passage into the ian t3,-

and the air passage with the fan t2.

With reference to Fig 8, the refrigerant compressor 35 is driven by the electric motor 43, and has its high pressure side connected through the condenser coil d8, the receiver 31 and thej expansion valve t to the evaporator .coil H5 and 41 in series, and which discharge vapor into the suction side of the compressor 35.

The compressor 36 is driven by the electric motor 48 and has its high pressure side connected through the condenser coil t9, the receiver 38 and the expansion valve 56 to the two evaporators 5| and 52 in series, and which discharge vapor into the suction side of the compresser 38.

The electric motors driving the compressors may be sealed within the compressors, or may be external motors.

The condenser coils4 48 and 46 are built into the evaporative condenser unit 4l in the path of water sprayed by the nozzles 54, and which is supplied thereto by the pump 55 in the sump 56 of the unit. (Fig. 10) The air inlet to the unit 4l is in the door 20, and has the screen 51 (Fig. 5) thereacross for preventing the entry thereinto of insects and other foreign particles. The damper louvres 58 are between the screen 51 and the nozzles 54, and are adapted to be opened and closed by the motor 59 as will be described in connection with Fig. 10

The wall 60 of insulating material extends horizontally between the supporting rails 25 and the engine 21 and the generator 28, and forms with the vertical walls 53 (Fig. 5) and the duct wall 6l, an air passage which connects the outlet of the condenser unit 4| with the inlet of the fan 82. The outlet of the fan 62 discharges into an air passage dened by the walls 53 and 60 and the floor of the car under the enginegenerator unit. The floor has the outlet 63 therein which discharges onto the railwaytrack. The engine radiator 64 is located between the wall 60 and the car floor adjacent the fan 62. The outlet 63 contains the louvres 68 adapted to be adjusted by the motor l I8 as will be described.

In operation, the fa'n 62 driven by the electric motor 85. draws outdoor air through the screen 51, through the damper louvres 58, through the spray from the nozzles 54, through the condenser coils 48 and 49, and blows this air through the radiator 64, over the surfaces of the engine 21 and the generator 28, and through the outlet` 83, thus cooling the radiator and the outer surfaces of the engine-generator unit as well as the condenser coils 48 and 43.

The evaporator coil 45 of the compressor 35 as illustrated by Fig. 8. is upstream with respect to air flow, of the Acorresponding evaporator coil 5l of the compressor 35, and the evaporator coil 41 of the compressor 351s downstream of the corresponding evaporator coil 52 of the compressor 36. Thus the evaporator coils of each compressor extend completely across the air stream passing through the air cooling compartment 61, and have the same exposure to the air being cooled whereby each set of evaporator coils is equally effective in cooling and dehumidifying the air stream.

It is preferred that the capacity of each compressor be suiiicient to take care of the average load with both compressors being cut in as will be described in connection with Fig. l0, for taking care of peak loads.

'Ihe air to be cooled in summer, and heated in winter, is drawn by the fan @t driven by the electric motor 69, through the outdoor air inlet passage l@ (Fig. 11) and through the recirculated air inlet passage il. The mixed outdoor and recirculated air then is drawn through the electrostatic, air cleaner 12 which may be generally similar to that disclosed in the G. W. Penney Patent No. 2,129,783, and is then drawn through evaporator coils de, el, 5l and 52 and into the inlet of the fan t6. The conditioned air is blown by the fan 63 through the hot water, heating coil 1t (Fig. 11) and over the ultraviolet sterilizer lamps 15 and thence into the air distributing ductl which extends over the passenger space in the car, and which has a plurality of spaced outlets through which the conditioned air is discharged.

The outdoor air passage 10 has mounte therein the electric heater 11 for heating the outdoor air when this is desired. The passenger space of the lcar has the floor heaters 18 which replace the usual steam, floor heaters.V The heaters 11 and 18 are automatically controlled by the thermostats |52 and |53 in the passage 10, as will be described in connection with Fig. 10.

The small room 80 illustrated by Fig. 2 is a control room having the switchboards 8| therein and on which are mounted the controls to be described in connection with Fig. l0. Some of the recirculated air drawn by the fan 68 through the passage 1| is diverted through the small passage te' into the opening 85 in the ceiling of the control room. The control room has the opening @l in one of its walls, which opens into the passage in which the engine 21 and the generator 23 are located, and which is connected with the inlet 8B of a centrifugal fan 39 mounted on the outer end of the rotary shaft of the generator 2S. The fan d@ draws the recirculated air through the passage @Il and the control room all, and blows this air through the generator for cooling its windings and'bearings. A portion of the air blown through the generator is diverted through the duct 90 into the fuel and air mixing chamber of the engine 21 Where it supplies air for combustion.

The recirculated air supplied into the control room t@ and the generator ian 39, is previously cleaned and cooled air, and preferably is equal in volume to the fresh, make-up air drawn into the outdoor air passage l0. This air is usually blown from the car without use, and by using it as described, the generator is cooled, and warm, clean air for combustion in the engine is provided without using the filters ordinarily provided for cleaning the air supplied to the air intakes of internal combustion engines.

Referring now to Fig. 9, the use of the jacket water of the engine 21 for heating the car will be described. The expansion tank 3| keeps the heating piping, and the engine water passages and its radiator filled with water or with a water mixture including a suitable non-freeze solution. The thermostat 92 responsive to heat from the engine, adjusts the valve 93 to close off the supply piping 95, and `to open the by-pass pipe 94 whereby the pump 96 of the engine recirculates water through the engine passages and the pipe 9d, in a vpath by-passing the heating coil 'i4 and the radiator 56, until the jacket water is up to a suitable operating temperature,v which may be 180 degrees F. At that temperature, the thermostat @2 opens the inlet to the supply piping 95 and closes the inlet to the by-pass pipe 94.

When the inlet to the by-pass pipe 04 is closed, all of the water from the engine passes through the radiator 64 if the valve 99 is adjusted by the air motor under control of the car thermostat 91 (Fig. l0) to close the pipe |01 to the car heating coil 14, and to close the coil by-pass pipe |02.

When the car thermostat 81 calls for heat, it first admits air to the motor |00 at suicient pressure to close the bynpass pipe |02 and to open the pipe |0| to the car heating coil 14 whereby the pump |03 can draw hot water through the coil lil and return it to the engine.

As the car warms up, to prevent overheating,

the thermostat 91 causes the motor |00 to adjust the valve -99 to by-pass some of the hot water around the coil 14'. When the car thermostat 91 is satisiied, it causes the motor |00 to adjust the valve 99 to close off the pipes |0| and |02 thus routing all of the engine'water through the radiator 64. The check valve |05 prevents the passage of the water from the radiator through the pipe |06 into the piping 95.

The operation of the entire control system will now be described -with reference to Fig. l0. The air storage tank ||0 is adalpted to be connected by the pipe to a conventional air compressor, and supplies compressed air through the pipe ||2 -to the engine fuel tank ||3 providing air pressure therein whereby the fuel pump of the engine 21 through not having to pump against a vacuum, can draw fuel from the tank.

Other compressed air from the pipe I2 passes through the piping ||4 to the air valve ||5 conn trolled by the thermostat H6, and a portion of this air passes through the piping H1 to the air motor H8 which adjusts the louvres 66 in the air outlet opening 63 (Fig. 1). Another portion of the air from the valve ||5 passes through the piping ||9 to the air motor 59 which adjusts the louvres 58 in the outdoor air inlet of the evaporative condenser unit 1L The thermostat ||6 is located as illustrated by Fig. 9, to respond to the temperature of the water leaving the engine 2l.

The evaporative condenser unit also includes the condenser coils d8 and 49, the spray nozzles 5ft, and the water sump` 56 in which the pump 55 for the nozzles 54 is supported. The make-up water tank |20 supplies water through the valve |2| into the sump 56, the valve |2| being controlled by the solenoid |23 as will be described.

Compressed air from the tank ||0 also passes through the air relay |26, and a portion of the air from this relay passes into the air motor |2l which advances the throttle or' the engine 21 as will be described. Another portion of the air from the relay |26 passes through the air piping |23 into the air relay |29 which controls the electric starting motor |30 of the engine 21. For lconvenience of illustration, the motor |30 is shown starting the engine through the generator 28 to which it is directly connected. The battery 53| energizes the motor 330 as will be described.

Another portion of the air from the relay |26 passes through the piping |32 into the relay |33 which controls the connection of the electric load to the generator 28 when it gets up to speed, as will be described.

Compressed air from the tank ||0 also passes through the piping |35 into the relay |36 which admits air to the air motor |31 which adjusts the louvres 13 in the outdoor air passage 10 when the relay |33 connects the generator 28 to its load. At the same time the motor 69 of the fan 38 which moves the conditioned air, is started, the wiring |34 supplying electric current to the relay |36 and the motor |9 as will be described.

Compressed air from the tank ||0 also passes through the piping |35 and k|40 to the car cooling thermostat |13! and through same to the air relay |42 which controls starting of the electric motor 43 which drives the refrigerant compressor 35, and to the air relay |43 which controls the starting of the electric motor 68 which drives the refrigerant compressor 36. The hygrostat |45 is connected into the air supply to the relays |42 and |43 and through same also controls the operabismo ation of the two refrigerant Icompressors as will be described.

Other compressed air from the piping |40 passes into the car heating thermostat 91 and through same to the previously described air motor which controls the circulation of the engine jacket water for heating the car, and to the relays |49 and The relay` |49 controls the supply of electric current through the wiring |34 to the outdoor air heaters 11 in the passage 10, and the relay |5| controls the supply of electric current to the oor heaters 19.

Thethermostats |52 .and |53 are located in ythe outdoor air passage 10,v and control through the conventional resistor control box |54, the supply of electric current tothe door heaters 18.

Regardless of the action of the thermostat 91 in energizing the iloor heaters 18, when the o utdoor air temperature is 30 degrees F., dry bulb, the thermostat 52 supplies through resistors in the control box |54, 120 volts to the iloor heaters 19. On a drop in the outdoor air temperature to 15 degrees F., the thermostat |53 acts to supply 220 Volts to the oor heaters 18. At low temperatures the load of the electric heaters causes rapid warm-up of the engine 21 when same is ilrst started.

In starting up the system, assuming the tank ||0 to contain air at the proper operating pressure, it is only necessary to close the electric switch |60. 'Ihis 4causes the battery |3| to supply electric current to the motor |30 which starts the engine 21. 'Ibis also causes the battery 3| to energize the relay |26 causing it to bleed air to the engine throttle motor |21 and the relay |33. The motor |21 starts to advance the throttle of the engine when the pressure of the air in the motor 21 reaches, say A5 pounds per square inch, and continues to advance the throttle slowly until the pressure in the motor |21 reaches 71/2 pounds, it requiring about a minute for this advancement of the throttle. This slow advancement of the throttle avoids damage to the engine when cold. At the end of the minute the engine is up to rated speed. The engine may be maintained at a constant speed by a conventional governor.

At the same time the engine gets up to speed, the relay |33 acts to connect the generator 28 to its load supply leads |34. This causes the motor 69 to start the fan 68 of the air conditioning system and causes the relay |36 to energize the motor |31 causing it to open the outdoor louvres 13 in the passage 10.

When the engine starts, current from the generator 29 is supplied to the motor 65 of the fan 62 whereby this fan comes up to speed with the engine, and is in operation simultaneously with the engine.

If the temperature in the passenger space is below, say 70 degrees F. as it is likely to be when the engine is started up in` winter, the car thermostat 91 bleeds air to the relays |49 and |5I respectively, and causing same to energize the electric heaters 11 and 18. The load of these heaters causes quick warm-up of the engine. In addition they heat the air entering the car, and the air in the car.

Until the engine jacket water reaches its proper operating temperature which may be 180 degrees F., the thermostat ||6 causes the motor ||8 to hold the louvres 66 in the outlet 63, and the motor 59 to hold the louvres 58 in the outdoor air passage to the radiator 64, closed. When the jacket water leaving the engine reaches 180 degrees.

the motors 59 and III will be actuated by the thermostat ||6 to open the louvres 58 and 95 respectively.

Assuming winter conditions, the thermostat 92 would cause the valve 99 to close the inlet to the water supply pipe 95, and to open the inlet to the by-pass pipe 94 whereby the pump 99 would recirculate the jacket water through the engine until the temperature of same reaches 180 degrees. At that temperature the thermostat 92 would cause the valve 93 to close the inlet to the by-pass'pipe 94. and to open the inlet to the pipe 95. With the thermostat 91 calling for heat, it will cause the lmotor |00 to adjust the valve 99 to open the inlet to the pipe |0| to the heating coil 14. It will be observed that the passenger space in the car can be heated by the hot water coil 14 and by the electric iioor heaters.` It is preferred that the oor heaters be cut in only if the heating coil 14 is unable to maintain the desired temperature.. Thus the thermostat 91 may act to supply hot water to the coil 14 when the car temperature falls to 'l0 degrees F. Then if the temperature in the car-falls to 68 degrees, the thermostat 91 would act to cut in the iloor heaters. At very low outdoor air temperatures, the thermostats |52 and |53 in the outdoor air passage would cause the electric heaters 11 to heat the outdoor air passing through the passage thus acting to load the engine for maintaining its jacket water at the proper temperature in very cold weather, and also aiding in heating the air in the car.

In the cooling season, the car thermostat |4| and the car hygrostat |45 would control the cooling of the air as will now be described. If the temperature in the car were to rise to, say '13 degrees F., the thermostat |4| would bleed air to the relays |42 and |43. When the pressure in the relay |42 reaches say 6 pounds per square inch, it acts to start the motor 43 of the compressor 95 causing it to supply refrigerant to the evaporator coils 46 and 41 (Fig. 8). If the temperature in the car continues to rise to say degrees, the thermostat |4| will continue to bleed air and when the pressure of the air in the relay |43 reaches say 4 pounds, it will act to start the motor 48 of the compressor 36 causing it to supply refrigerant to the evaporator coils 5| and 52.

The hygrostat |45 operates the compressors 35 and 36 to maintain a low relative humidity in the air in the car. If the relative humidity increases to say 55%, the hygrostat will bleed air to the relay |42 as does the thermostat |4|, causing it to start the compressor motor 43 of the compressor 35. If the relative humidity is not reduced by the operation of the compressor 35, the relay |43 will be actuated to start the motor 48 of the compressor 36.

At times when the temperature and the relative humidity are both high, the thermostat |4| and the hygrostat |45 will both be acting to operate the compressors. A

At other times the temperature of the air may be suillciently low vso that the thermostat |48 will be satisfied, and the hygrostat will cause the air to be cooled to too low a temperature to be supplied into the passenger` space, in order for adequate dehumidication to take place. At such times the thermostat 91 will act to cause engine jacket water to be supplied to the coil 14 for reheating the air. Disregarding considerations of comfort this is not wasteful, for the heat absorbed from the coil 14 is heat which otherwise would have to be dissipated by the radiator 60.

During the operation of the compressors, the fan 62 draws outdoor air through the louvres 58, through the spray from the nozzles 54, through the condenser coils 4B and 49, and through the engine radiator 64 thus dissipating the heat from the condenser coils and the radlator. The water sprayed upon the condenser coils causes them to be cooled by evaporative cooling.

When the relay |42 acts to start the compressor 35, it also energizes the solenoid |23 which adjusts the valve |2I to supply water to the sump 58 of the evaporative condenser unit 4|, and starts the motor |24 of the pump 55 which supplies water from the sump to the spray nozzles 54.

As a result of the compressor starting relays |42 and |43 operating at dierent air pressures for starting the compressors 35 and 36, both compressors cannot be started at the same time regardless of the demand for cooling. The compressor 35 will always start first. This results ina greatly reduced starting current as comparedto that required by the over-sized, single compressors used in the past, enabling a much smaller power plant to be used.

Upon failure of one of the compressors or its associated components, the other compressor will serve to at least partially cool the car pending repair or replacement of the defective equipment.

Since the evaporator coils of each compressor extend completely across the air stream being cooled, each compressors evaporators are equally effective in cooling and/or dehumidifying the entire air stream passing through the air condi tioning compartment.

What is claimed is:

l. In a passenger vehicle having an air inlet in one of its side walls, means forming a first air passage extending from said inlet transversely of the vehicle, means forming a second air passage connecting with said passage and extending under same transversely of the vehicle, a refrigerant liquefying unit in said first passage, a power unit for supplying power to said refrigeration unit in said second passage, said second passage having an air outlet for exhausting air from the vehicle, and a fan for moving air in through said inlet, through said passages and through said outlet.

2. In a, passenger vehicle having an air inlet in one of its side walls, means forming a first air passage extending from said inlet transversely of the vehicle, means forming a second air passage extending under said passage transversely of the vehicle, a refrigerant liquefying unit in said first passage, a power unit for supplying power to said refrigeration unit in said Second passage, said second passage having an outlet for exhausting air from the vehicle, means forming a third air passage interconnecting said passages, and a f an in said third passage for moving air in through said inlet, through said passages and through said outlet.

3. In a passenger vehicle having an air inlet in one of its side Walls, means forming a first air passage extending from said inlet transversely of the vehicle; means forming a second air passage extending transversely of the vehicle under said first passage; a refrigerant compressor, a motor for driving the compressor, and a condenser for the compressor in said rst passage; an electric generator for energizing said motor, a liquid-cooled, driving said generator, and a radiator for said engine in said second passage, said second passage internal combustion engine for said first passage, means forming a third air passage interconnecting said passages, anevaporative condenser unit in said rst passage adjacent said inlet, a pair of refrigerant compressors and electric motors for driving same in said rst passage between said unit and said third passage, said unit containing condensers conlnected to said compressors, an electric generator for energizing said motors in said second passage, a liquid-cooled internal combustion engine for driving said generator, and a radiator therefor in said second passage, said second passage having an outlet for exhausting air from the vehicle, and a fan in said third passage for moving air through said inlet, said passages and said outlet.

5. The combination as claimed in claim 3 in which dampers are provided in said inlet and said outlet, and means including means responsive to the temperature o. the liquid in the radiator adjusts said dampers to closed postions when the temperature of the liquid in the radiator is below afselected temperature.

6. The combination as claimed in claim 4 in which dempers are provided in the inlet and the outlet, and means including means responsive to the temperature of the liquid in the radiator adjusts the dempers to closed positions when the temperature of the liquid in the radiator is below a selected point.

'l'. An air conditioning system for a passenger vehicle comprising an air chilling unit, a refrigerant compressor for supplying refrigerant to said unit, an electric motor for driving said compressor, an electric generator for energizing said motor, means for supplying air chilled by said unit into the passenger space of said vehicle, and means for circulating air from the passenger space through said generator.

8. The combination as claimed in claim 7 in which an internal combustion engine drives the generator, and means is provided for diverting air circulated through the generator into the air intake of the engine.

9. In a vehicle having a side wall with an opening therein and a displaceable cover for the opening; a pair of spaced structural supports extending from said opening transversely into the vehicle; a refrigerant compressor and an electric motor for driving same, slidably mounted upon said supports, a second pair of spaced structural supports extending from said opening transversely into the vehicle under said supports; and an electric generator for energizing said motor; and an internal combustion engine for driving said generator, slidably mounted upon said second pair of supports.

lo. In a vehicle having a side wall with an opening therein and a displaceable cover for the opening, said cover having an air inlet therein, a pair of spaced structural supports extending from said opening transversely into the vehicle, a refrigerant compressor, a. condenser therefor and an electric motor for driving the compressor slidably mounted 3 upon said supports, means forming an air passage around said compressor.

inlet in alingnment lWith and connecting with the air inlet in said cover, a, second pair of spaced Ystructural supports under said supports and extending trom said opening transversely into the vehicle, an electric generator for energizing said motor, and an internal combustion engine for driving said generator slidably mounted on said second pair of supports, means forming a second air passage around said generator and engine. said second passage having an outlet in the oor of the vehicle, means forming a third air passage interconnecting said passages, and a fan in said third passage for drawing air in through said inlets, moving the air through said passages and discharging it through said outlet.

IRVZING S. RITTER..

The following references are oi record in the.

l2 amnnNoss crrnn ille of this patent:

5 UNITED STATES PATENTE Number Name Date 2,185,033 Melcher Dec. 26, 1939 2,185,034 Melcher Dec. 26, 1939 2,187,398 Goggins Jan. 16, 1940 l0 2.302.189 Chambers et al. Nov. 17, 1942 2,320,596 Henney June 1, 1943 

